EACAhttps://eaca.eu
European Association of Communications AgenciesWed, 20 Mar 2019 16:09:42 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.10https://eaca.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/logo-144x144.pngEACAhttps://eaca.eu
3232Romanian Presidency to steer Europe through changeshttps://eaca.eu/romanian-presidency-to-steer-europe-through-changes/
https://eaca.eu/romanian-presidency-to-steer-europe-through-changes/#respondWed, 09 Jan 2019 12:45:59 +0000https://eaca.eu/?p=5152On 1 January, Romania took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for an exceptionally transformative and challenging period of six months that will mark the end of the current legislative term in the EU. Holding the presidency means Romania taking charge of setting the EU’s agenda, advancing debates and chairing all […]

]]>On 1 January, Romania took over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for an exceptionally transformative and challenging period of six months that will mark the end of the current legislative term in the EU.

Holding the presidency means Romania taking charge of setting the EU’s agenda, advancing debates and chairing all the meetings in the Council of the EU and its preparatory bodies. The role also involves representing the Council in relations with the other EU institutions such as the European Parliament. For the next months, Romania will act as a broker in proposing compromises and concluding as many legislative files as possible in inter-institutional trilogue negotiations. Not an easy nut to crack!

Final push for legislation

Being at the end of the five-year EU legislative and policy cycle, Romania is in a difficult position to deal with the most controversial files left on the negotiating table. The ePrivacy Regulation is one such example relevant to agencies. It was rolled out almost two years ago by the European Commission, with a plan to implement it at the same time as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The ePrivacy Regulation would further specify the data protection rules of the GDPR, governing electronic communications, including targeted advertising. It has, however, faced a lot of controversy and the member states have so far been unable to find a common approach.

Given the fact that trilogue negotiations would have to be concluded in February in order for the European Parliament to adopt legislation in its last plenary session in April, it looks like several legislative files will be left for the next European Parliament, which will have to decide on their continuity.

However, the clock may be ticking just right for the ‘P2B’ Regulation to pass in time. Furthermore, the game is not over for the plans about European-wide Digital Tax, for which the Council is expected to come up with a proposal in March 2019 based on a suggestion of Germany and France. It remains to be seen whether such tax would extend to agencies placing advertisements online or providing ad space. In the meantime, several EU countries have started implementing their own national digital tax.

Sailing in deep political waters

Apart from the abovementioned legislative files, the Romanian Presidency is coinciding with the scheduled date of Brexit (29 March) and the next European Parliament elections (23-26 May) that will further set the tone for the Union’s future.

“A hard Brexit will benefit no one, and despite the gloom and doom, I believe that a last-minute compromise will be reached that will avoid a negative economic impact on Europe” comments Radu Florescu, CEO of Centrade Cheil communication network in South-East Europe and Vice President of the Romanian Association of Communications Agencies (Uniunea Agentiilor de Publicitate din Romania). “The Parliamentary elections will be another important milestone moving forward. Eyes will be upon the right-wing parties and their ability to increase their numbers from the past elections. A move to the far-right would worry investors”, he continues.

The Romanian challenge / opportunity

The Presidency will be a real touchstone for Romania that is holding this role for the first time since it joined the European Union. The current national administration has also been undergoing some national turbulences with the sudden resignation of the EU affairs minister in November and the government doubting their preparedness for the EU role.[1] But despite these challenges, Romania goes ahead with more unity – “Cohesion, common European value”, as their official motto says.

“Romania’s Presidency provides a great opportunity to highlight Romania’s positives in front of the world”, Radu Florescu assures. “Romania, albeit with limited resources, can stand out and set an example for others. With a growing economy, a trusted NATO ally and geo-politically well-placed on the Black Sea, Romania has much to contribute. Disavowing populism (which it has done so far), adhering to the rule of law, ramping up EU absorption funds could encourage also others to punch above their weight and maintain the momentum beyond 2019.”

Promoting research and innovation, digitalisation and connectivity, in order to increase the competitiveness of the European economy and industry is one of the flagship objectives of the current Presidency. Similarly, Radu tells the private sector and advertising agencies to look for ways to reform their businesses. “It is important to move away from execution-approach solution to more strategic and business consulting roles that seem to be more in demand. In a world where clients are looking for simpler solutions, this new approach has legs to travel further”.

]]>https://eaca.eu/romanian-presidency-to-steer-europe-through-changes/feed/0The impact of Kidfluencers in Advertisinghttps://eaca.eu/the-impact-of-kidfluencers-in-advertising/
https://eaca.eu/the-impact-of-kidfluencers-in-advertising/#respondThu, 29 Nov 2018 09:27:25 +0000https://eaca.eu/?p=5067With the growth of online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, advertisers have found new and creative ways to reach consumers. One of the most popular techniques that has emerged and significantly increased is influencers. Influencers – people paid to promote content on social media, have popularity on social media but do not always […]

]]>With the growth of online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, advertisers have found new and creative ways to reach consumers. One of the most popular techniques that has emerged and significantly increased is influencers.

Influencers – people paid to promote content on social media, have popularity on social media but do not always start out as celebrities. Many of them start off with a YouTube channel with only a few followers, but over time, their popularity grows. People still view them as your average person; their content can be as simple as showing viewers their day-to-day routine or teaching viewers a skill. However, as they gain followers, their popularity soars and they start to get paid for the content they put on social media. Soon they’re suggesting a certain brand of makeup or a new protein shake that keeps them fit.

Companies find people who already have a large network of followers to sponsor their products. Influencers are usually an expert in a certain field – such as health, beauty, cooking, etc., so they have more credibility when suggesting a product. Influencers are a great way for advertisers to market their product. While viewers are impatiently waiting to skip an ad before a video, they are choosing to watch or follow accounts with sponsored content. Why are influencers less intrusive than traditional advertising? Because the advertisement blends in more with the rest of the information that users are consuming in a regular day. They choose to watch sponsored content, so they are getting suggestions for products that are more relevant to their lives.

The influencer industry has also been increasingly popular among children who can watch other kids their own age try out, for example, new toys. Children may seek out the advice of these “kidfluencers” who have special skills to share, watch their videos and follow their accounts because they enjoy watching their content. Over time, children may put more trust into kidfluencers and their suggestions for new toys to play with. This is different from traditional advertisements where kids usually watch paid actors to promote products. Even when advertisers pay well known celebrities to present toys, kids may not give the products as much credibility as with kidfluencers.

However, while many people who have grown up in the digital age may be able to distinguish between sponsored and non-sponsored content, people need to be weary of children who are still learning how to make these distinctions. Kidfluencers are also on platforms where content is not always labelled as being sponsored. While companies must pay to show their advertisement on TV, anyone can upload a video to YouTube. It is not always clear which content is sponsored, and which is not.

For example, a child may be able to distinguish between their favourite TV programme and the advertisements that play before it, but can they tell the difference between a YouTube video where a kid is paid to play with a product versus a video where a kid promotes a product without sponsorship?

While it is important to teach children how to spot sponsored content online, EU legislation and industries’ self-regulatory measures have also worked to create more transparency in advertising.

According to the recently amended Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMSD), programmes, including content on streaming services, must clearly inform their viewers of sponsorship agreements and product placements. The AVMSD also allows member states to ban sponsorship on children’s programmes.

Recently, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) updated their “Advertising and Marketing Communications Code”. Used as a guide for many industries’ self-regulatory legislation, Article 18 states, “Marketing communications directed to children should be clearly distinguishable to them as such” meaning that influencers making videos for children are obligated to make children aware that they are paid to make these videos.

Kidfluencers have made a lot of headway in the advertising industry, and as the influencer industry continues to grow, more challenges will arise on how to self-regulate this type of sponsored content. Promoting media literacy has also become increasingly important; social media is not going away, so people need to learn more about what goes into their feeds.

]]>https://eaca.eu/the-impact-of-kidfluencers-in-advertising/feed/0Austria leads Council Presidency until the end of the yearhttps://eaca.eu/austria-leads-council-presidency-until-the-end-of-the-year/
https://eaca.eu/austria-leads-council-presidency-until-the-end-of-the-year/#respondFri, 20 Jul 2018 09:28:09 +0000http://eaca.eu/?p=4786On 1 July 2018, Austria took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months. It will steer EU law-making with as many as 200 legislative proposals waiting on the table. Although the previous Bulgarian Presidency managed to bring progress with some files, a significant challenge remains and the […]

]]>On 1 July 2018, Austria took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union for the next six months. It will steer EU law-making with as many as 200 legislative proposals waiting on the table.

Although the previous Bulgarian Presidency managed to bring progress with some files, a significant challenge remains and the clock is rapidly ticking. The EU institutions are currently grearing up for the next European Parliament elections taking place in less than a year’s time. The new elected parlamentarians are set to enter the scene in Brussels in May 2019 causing political priorities once again to get reshuffled.

For advertising agencies, it will be particularly interesting to see whether the Austrian Presidency will be able to move forward (1) the ePrivacy Regulation, (2) the Platform-to-business Regulation and (3) the directives related to corporate and revenue-based digital taxation. These dossiers are very troublesome for agencies operating in an online environment.

(1) So far, the advances seem very limited for the ePrivacy Regulation. The Austrian Presidency has only committed to issuing a progress report. (2) Regarding the Platform-to-business Regulation, the Council is expected to issue its first draft on 24 July and find a general approach by the end of its term. (3) The Presidency is set to organise a policy debate on the Directive for digital corporate tax. It will step up the game regarding the Directive for digital tax on revenues with an aim to reach a political agreement despite opposition from some countries. It remains to be seen what will happen, especially given that the procedural rules of this file require unanimity among the EU member states.

Markus Deutch, Director General of the Austrian Advertising Association Fachverband Werbung (FVW) says that the Presidency‚ has demonstrated a strong will to ensure transparency and involve various stakeholders, being knowledgeable of (advertising) self-regulation and welcoming industry input and self-regulatory initiatives‘. He reassures the intention of the Austrian Advertising Association to ‘best present the Austrian and European economy and the advertising industry together with the lobbying platform of EACA‘.

EACA is pleased to be working together with WKO in the coming months to advocate the interests of our industry together. Year after year, Austria ranks high in the European Advertising Business Climate Index, indicating the country’s strong potential in the advertising market, enabled by approriate law-making and political leadership.

In the words of the Council President Donal Tusk: ‚There is a huge amount of work to be done and limited time. But I feel, we could not be in better hands‘.[1]

]]>https://eaca.eu/austria-leads-council-presidency-until-the-end-of-the-year/feed/0Decision-makers: Time to think through the Copyright directivehttps://eaca.eu/decision-makers-time-to-think-through-the-copyright-directive/
https://eaca.eu/decision-makers-time-to-think-through-the-copyright-directive/#respondMon, 09 Jul 2018 12:24:49 +0000http://eaca.eu/?p=4729On 5 July, the European Parliament voted to reject the mandate to start inter-institutional (“trilogue”) negotiations on the reform of the copyright directive with 318 to 278 votes. The vote was the preliminary culmination of a nearly two-year period of intense lobbying by European rightsholders, publishers, online platforms, the civil society, and other groups. Copyright […]

]]>On 5 July, the European Parliament voted to reject the mandate to start inter-institutional (“trilogue”) negotiations on the reform of the copyright directive with 318 to 278 votes.

The vote was the preliminary culmination of a nearly two-year period of intense lobbying by European rightsholders, publishers, online platforms, the civil society, and other groups.

Copyright law is highly fragmented within the EU, as the current directive has been implemented very differently in the Member States. For this reason, the European Commission proposed a reform to allow for more cross-border access to copyright-protected content online and to widen opportunities to use copyrighted material in, for example, education and research. In a bid to stimulate the creation of high-quality content, the Commission introduced a new right for press publishers, which would strengthen their bargaining position vis-à-vis, for example, platforms when it comes to negotiating and remunerating the use of their content online.

During the following discussions in the European Parliament, this right and how it would be enforced was further fleshed out by parliamentarians, leading to highly controversial solutions, including what is simplistically referred to as a “link tax” and “content upload filters”. Particularly the latter could bear high risks for agencies.

The proposed rules essentially demand platforms to set up licensing agreements with rightsholders. Platforms, in cooperation with rightsholders, would need to install special filters on platforms’ websites in order to ensure the effective and transparent functioning of these licensing agreements. In other words, the aim is to recognise and block any copyright-protected content from being uploaded.

What is concerning for the advertising industry, including agencies, is the uncertainty about how these filters would ultimately work. Agencies frequently use music, images or performances when developing commercial campaigns and clear the rights for their use. At this stage, however, there is no indication that filtering tools could (technically) distinguish between content for which rights have been cleared and content for which rights have not been cleared. The result could be that any content using copyrighted material would be blocked from the outset – be it legally used or not. This would considerably impact the freedom of expression and the freedom to conduct business.

With last week’s rejection of the proposal, an active group of Members of the European Parliament gave a much-needed signal to their colleagues in the Legal Affairs Committee. It is necessary to consider all the implications of the directive properly before coming up with a position, which could have disproportionate consequences on how we use the internet and conduct business online today.

]]>https://eaca.eu/decision-makers-time-to-think-through-the-copyright-directive/feed/0Why should agencies care about EU law?https://eaca.eu/why-should-agencies-care-about-eu-law/
https://eaca.eu/why-should-agencies-care-about-eu-law/#respondWed, 13 Jun 2018 12:18:42 +0000http://eaca.eu/?p=4687Last year in 2017, altogether 26 Directives and 249 Regulations were either adopted or amended by the European Union (EU) institutions.[1] Why does it matter for communications agencies? If your company is based in the EU, chances are that at least some of these measures affect your business. All EU Directives are eventually transposed into […]

]]>Last year in 2017, altogether 26 Directives and 249 Regulations were either adopted or amended by the European Union (EU) institutions.[1] Why does it matter for communications agencies?

If your company is based in the EU, chances are that at least some of these measures affect your business. All EU Directives are eventually transposed into national laws and Regulations are directly applicable to all parties concerned. Although there is no completely accurate or useful way of calculating the percentage of national laws based on or influenced by the EU, we should not underestimate their impact in making up the national legal order.[2] The Union has a considerable amount of law-making powers when it comes to rules concerning advertising services.

At the moment, agencies should particularly be aware of EU legislation that is relevant to their ability to provide digital services and to innovate. Having passed the infamous General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the EU institutions are now preparing for the next set of rules concerning data protection, namely the ePrivacy Regulation, which sets out specific rules on data confidentiality in the electronic communication sector, covering e.g. cookie banners.

The EU institutions can, furthermore, directly regulate different business players. On the one hand, under a recently published proposal, the European Commission demands online platforms to be more transparent when trading with other businesses, e.g. by laying out their main parameters for ranking and providing for redress mechanisms. Under the existing Unfair Consumer Practices Directive, on the other hand, the EU addresses advertisers and agencies by establishing a blacklist of practices and communications that are prohibited in advertising. The list might even be extended in the future given that negotiation are currently ongoing to amend the Directive.

Even if your agency is not located on EU territory, Union-level law-making could still have some implications. The EU can indirectly influence companies outside the EU if these companies are in contact with the Union’s citizens.

To illustrate the point, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) catches data controllers and processors outside the EU whose processing activities relate to the offering of goods or services to, or monitoring the behavior (within the EU) of, EU data subjects. Therefore, a company outside the EU which is targeting consumers in the EU is subject to EU legislation and may need to appoint representatives in the EU and otherwise comply with the provisions of the GDPR.

Another case where non-EU-based agencies should be concerned about EU law is the European Commission’s proposal for corporate taxation of a significant digital presence. Companies outside the EU which provide digital services can be subject to tax in an EU country where they have ‘a significant digital presence’ measured in terms of their revenue and/or the number of users. The fact whether the company is legal resident of that country makes no difference. Therefore, thinking ‘we are not in the EU, we need not care’ does not really apply here.

Efficient advocacy and interest representation involves voicing agencies’ wishes and concerns at the right place at the right time. Whereas discussions with local politicians may be useful, it is equally important for all agencies to pay attention to both EU legislation that is being planned and legislation that is already in place. This way we can ensure the best possible future for the whole industry.

]]>https://eaca.eu/why-should-agencies-care-about-eu-law/feed/0Ad of the month! March #staffpickshttps://eaca.eu/ad-month-march-staffpicks/
https://eaca.eu/ad-month-march-staffpicks/#respondWed, 04 Apr 2018 14:13:45 +0000http://eaca.eu/?p=4557In the spirit of continuing our #adofthemonth tradition, in March we picked another excellent campaign worthy of the title!

]]>In the spirit of our #adofthemonth tradition, we picked another excellent campaign worthy of the title!

However, with so many excellent campaigns in store, it was certainly not an easy task.

To name a few, Amnesty International UK and VCCP Agency joined forces to stage a living installation “The Undeniable Wonder of Family Life” over Mother’s Day weekend to highlight the importance of reuniting refugee families. While the National Gallery of Prague and Geometry Prague captured our attention with the “Touching Masterpieces” campaign bringing iconic sculptures to life for the blind through a unique VR experience, “Get There with wiggle” by Dark Horses Sports Marketing made us want to leave the city and dive into the wild!

In the end, “Save Our Species” by Lacoste and BETC Paris took the crown. In an effort to raise awareness for endangered species, the brand temporarily replaced its iconic crocodile logo with the selected number of animals facing extinction.

The “Save Our Species” also kicked off a three-year partnership between the brand and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and marked the first time Lacoste has ever initiated a logo change.

]]>https://eaca.eu/ad-month-march-staffpicks/feed/0Ad of the month! February #staffpickshttps://eaca.eu/ad-month-february-staffpicks/
https://eaca.eu/ad-month-february-staffpicks/#respondMon, 05 Mar 2018 12:56:54 +0000http://eaca.eu/?p=4443The February edition of the #staffpicks is here!

From the cheeky KFC UK “FCK, We’re Sorry” campaign by Mother London, relatable McDonald’s McCafé “Flat what?” by Leo Burnett London to sweet animation featured in “The Postman” by Renault and Publicis Loft, we saw both commercial and not-for-profit work bursting with creativity, using various channels to communicate a message.

One particular effort stuck with us the most in February. Hence, we decided to pick the “Birth, Deaths & Notices” print campaign by the Dublin Zoo and Rothco as our #adofthemonth!

The Dublin Zoo together with an agency Rothco reframed the traditional “Birth, Deaths & Notices” section of an Irish National newspaper to raise awareness about the wild rhino’s plummeting population.

We believe advertising can serve as a catalyst for positive social or environmental change. This case is an excellent example of that.

]]>https://eaca.eu/ad-month-february-staffpicks/feed/0Winning a Golden Euro Effie with a €23 media budgethttps://eaca.eu/winning-golden-euro-effie-e23-media-budget/
https://eaca.eu/winning-golden-euro-effie-e23-media-budget/#respondTue, 27 Feb 2018 14:38:38 +0000http://eaca.eu/?p=4419In the face of the growing social mood related to the migration crisis, DDB&Tribal Warsaw was asked by the local Amnesty International branch to prepare a social campaign for refugees. This is how the movie "Look Beyond Borders" was made.

]]>In the face of the growing social mood related to the migration crisis, we were asked by the local Amnesty International branch to prepare a social campaign for refugees. This is how the movie “Look Beyond Borders” was made. Moving, thought-provoking, important. The film, which has been seen by over 41 million people around the world, and the total reach of the campaign has built up to 930 million people, making it the most reachable in the history of global Amnesty International. That’s all with the media budget of, only, 23 €. Do you think that’s impossible? Well, I invite you to read further.

Let’s start from the beginning…

It is no secret that now the world, and in particular the old continent is facing a huge humanitarian crisis. The number of refugees exceeds that after the Second World War. According to UN data, 1 out of 122 inhabitants of the globe is forced to leave their home. Yes, nearly 1% of us have no place to live for ourselves and their loved ones! In 2015 alone, 1 million people reached Europe. For obvious reasons, this is a topic for discussion in countries facing this problem and having to take responsibility for solving the crisis.

In all this, the drama of the human aspect is increasingly forgotten, and the only effect is a sharpened public discourse, giving political fuel to populists and a polarizing society.

How did we approach this?

We did not want to directly encourage the admission of refugees, thus adding their five cents to the barren discussion in the media and political salons that had been going on for months. Everything has already been said about this subject. What is particularly important – it is so conflicting that the campaign encouraging the admission of refugees could be mainly rebounded, thus contributing to even larger divisions. What we wanted was to take care of the extreme dehumanization of refugees and that caught our attention particularly.

In the face of the growing migration crisis, the human aspect has gone into the background. Refugees are not talked about as people fleeing persecution, but about the amounts to be adopted and the threatening economic and social problem.The opponent in our campaign were stereotypes and prejudices against what is different and foreign. They lead to unjustified hatred, taken from the fear and ignorance of refugees. This comes from the polarization of politics and misleading media coverage, in which we rarely have access to individual stories and do not let refugees speak up for themselves.

Who was our target group?

We knew that we would not reach everyone efficiently, and persuading the declared opponents is pointless. We wanted to reach out and strengthen the support of people accepting refugees or those undecided, who on the one hand were afraid of their image from the media, on the other conscience told them to help another person in need. For us, they were the most important – constituting nearly half of European societies (334 million people) were open to arguments and the possibility of changing their minds.

Starting from basics, meaning insight…

Increasing aversion to refugees for cultural, social and economic reasons, as well as prejudices resulting from misunderstanding of more and more noticeable cultural and religious differences. A widespread fear, compounded by more and more frequent terrorist attacks, which are mistakenly identified directly with refugees. All this meant that we decided to base our campaign on how universal insight, referring to the fear of the unknown rooted in people – “Every otherness causes anxiety. In refugees, we see a threat without trying to see another, valuable person ”

…then the strategy…

Starting from this insight, we wanted to show that fear and hostility come from unjust stereotypes and sometimes it is enough to refute them when confronted with those they concern. We did not want to convince rationally that refugees are same as us, but to give everyone a chance to actually feel it.
For this reason, we used a psychological mechanism, for which mirror neurons are responsible, thanks to which we can feel the emotions of others. In a nutshell, it means that empathy awakens in us when seen in another person. Using this mechanism, we wanted to infect Europeans with it.

… and a great creative idea…

We used the psychological experiment of Arthur Aron, described by him as a “study of closeness.” According to his theory, a 4-minute eye contact is enough to strengthen the relationship with another human being.

Through the campaign’s movie, we wanted to enable the audience to experience the experiment themselves, showing how little it takes to overcome foreignness and stereotypes towards refugees. We wanted to prove that in the migration crisis, first of all, it is important to recognize the other person who needs help in each refugee, through raising interest and moving people’s hearts.

… which we implemented.

In order to influence the largest number of people from our target group, we had to achieve the widest reach. With a negligible media and production budget, the creative execution was predetermined and focused on the viral effect.

We focused on emotional and qualitative creation, which could interest the media and move the hearts of Internet users, helping to carry out campaigns across Europe. The experiment was carried out in Berlin, which is an ideal place for that purpose. Germany is one of the countries that have received the largest number of refugees, and the city itself is a symbol of overcoming divisions.

We invited Europeans and refugees, mainly from Syria, to participate. We shot the film in the hall, where the mixed-pair couples were seated opposite with their eyes closed, opened with the sign of a moderator. Participants did not know each other until that very moment, and their reactions were not arranged. Their spontaneous behaviour had a gigantic emotional charge, being key to the success of the campaign. We created a moving movie from the filmed footage, showing how little it takes to look at the world through the eyes of another human being.

Despite the trend of short social videos, ours lasted as long as 5 minutes. It was a conscious undertaking to cause the greatest impact on the viewers. Such length requires concentration, allowing you to empathize with the experiment and almost experience it yourself. We put the created movie on YT and Amnesty social channels. We supported the campaign with media and PR, getting support from influencers and media.

What about the results?

The film dispersed through various channels on social media was watched by 41.3 million people, with the total number of 405 100 shares! “Look Beyond Borders” was mentioned by the largest media in Europe (including Die Welt, El País, Euronews) and in the world (including CNN, India Today, The Huffington Post) providing 826 publications in 46 countries. This way, we managed to generate nearly 481.8 million total reach in Europe alone, and the record of 930 million in the world! That’s all within a budget of just € 23!

Thanks to this numbers the international secretariat of Amnesty International recognized it as the most effective in almost 60 years of the entire organization. For us, the most important thing is that we may have changed the perspective of many people toward refugees.

]]>https://eaca.eu/winning-golden-euro-effie-e23-media-budget/feed/0Ad of the month! January #staffpickshttps://eaca.eu/ad-month-staffpicks/
https://eaca.eu/ad-month-staffpicks/#respondThu, 01 Feb 2018 09:27:14 +0000http://eaca.eu/?p=4281We picked an ad of the month and we really really love it!

]]>We really love ads, and in January we picked an ad we really really loved!

Many excellent campaigns that ran in European markets caught our attention last month, from the sweet “#glassandahalf” campaign by VCCP and Cadbury, entertaining “Transfer A Fan” by Duval Guillaume and Bundesliga to the peculiar “Pee Ad” by Åkestam Holst and IKEA!

However, the one ad that truly stood out from the crowd was “The Fearless are Here” by Y&R London and BBC. With its daring animation and thrilling soundtrack, the ad campaign perfectly captured the spirit of the Winter Olympics and won our hearts.

]]>https://eaca.eu/ad-month-staffpicks/feed/0Bulgaria on the driver’s seat for EU legislationhttps://eaca.eu/bulgaria-drivers-seat-eu-legislation/
https://eaca.eu/bulgaria-drivers-seat-eu-legislation/#respondTue, 30 Jan 2018 15:16:30 +0000http://eaca.eu/?p=4272On the 1st of January, Bulgaria took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union, the EU’s main decision-making body. This could be a moment for the Bulgarian advertising agencies to shine.

]]>On the 1st of January, Bulgaria took over the presidency of the Council of the European Union, the EU’s main decision-making body. This means that Bulgaria sets the agenda and chairs national ministers’ EU meetings for a six-month period.

The leadership has come at a point in time when some files important for advertising agencies are being discussed. Bulgaria has no easier tasks than brokering a common approach on the ePrivacy Regulation and navigating through inter-institutional negotiations on the reform of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. That’s a whopping situation for a first-timer!

Since the start of the year, Bulgaria has enjoyed being in the spotlight of the international media. Being one of the youngest members of the EU with a Soviet past, the press has been eager to see how the country will steer top EU-policy and law-making for the first time in history. So far, at least the decision to reopen discussions on some basic principles of the ePrivacy Regulation has been a brave move and demonstrates that the country could be off to a promising six months!

Apart from political discussions, Nikolay Karadjov, the Director General of BACA – the Bulgarian Association of Communications Agencies – tells that Bulgaria is also on its way to attract more and more tourists. The local government has allocated a record budget for international promotion of Bulgaria as a tourist destination. ‘It is wonderful news for the communication agencies which will take on this job, too.’

This could indeed be a moment for the Bulgarian advertising agencies to shine. According to the Commission’s business confidence records, trust in the success of the Bulgarian advertising sector has remained positive for a few years, predicting more growth might be to come.

EACA sends greetings to all of our Bulgarian members and wishes success and best of luck for the upcoming months!